appOdhaikku ippOdhu

[Guest guest]

This post is intended to clarify the p.s. about Sisubalan in my last

post. I request the patience and forgiveness of the group if this

clarification is unnecessary.

 

My p.s. declared, rather impetuously, that we all know what

happened to Sisubalan. The answer of course is that he was

awarded the thiruvadi mOksham of our Lord Sriman Narayana.

This is beautifully described by Nammaazhvaar:

 

kEtpaargaL kEsavan than keerththi yallaal maRRum kEtparO,

kEtpaar sevisudu keezmai vasavukaLE vaiyum,

sEtpaaR pazampagaivan sisubaalan, thiruvadi

thaatpaal adaindha thanmai yaRivaarai yaRindhumE?

 

-- thiruvaay mozhi 7.5.3

 

"Learned are those who revere the grace of our Lord Sriman Narayana;

the grace that let Sisubalan reach His lotus feet,

Sisubalan, the old enemy driven to hurling vile insults that burn

the ear drums of those within earshot;

yet our Lord let him near His lotus feet;

Those who lend their ears to such glory of our Lord Kesavan

will hear nothing else."

 

Sisubalan attained mOksham because he underwent a change of

heart at the moment he was about to be struck down. Upon seeing

our Lord in all His glory, Sisubalan was inevitably drawn by His

beauty and wished for union with His thiruvadi and got it.

 

We surely can draw faith from the story of Sisubalan that our Lord

will undoubtedly save us no matter how grave our sin is. But,

Sisubalan cannot be a role model for us. The time for performing

prapatti is not when we are about to leave this world, but right here

and now. Even the exalted soul Periaazhvaar was fearful that he may

fail to remember our Lord's thirunaamam when Yama's agents are

upon him. In ten beautiful paasurams of Periaazvaar Thiru mozhi

(4.10.1 - 4.10.10) aazhvaar repeats this theme "appothaikku

ippOdhE sollivaiththEn." The first of these 10 paasurams is:

 

thuppudaiyaarai_adaivadhellaam

sOrvidaththuththuNaiyaavarenRE

oppilEnaakilumn^innadaindhEn

aanaikkun^ee_aruLseydhamaiyaal

eyppu_ennaivandhun^aliyumpOdhu

angu_Edhumn^aanunnain^inaikkamaattEn

appOdhaikku_ippOdhEsollivaiththEn

arangaththaravaNaippaLLiyaanE!

 

"The meek surrender to You, confident that

You will save them when their strengths are gone;

I am of no merit, yet I surrender unto You,

with unshakable faith that You will save me,

like You saved GajEdran.

O! the Lord of Sri Rangam, slumbering upon the snake-bed,

when old age is upon me, I won't think of You;

So, let me surrender unto You, right here and now.

 

 

 

-- Dileepan